Part of Falls Lake Dam that was found in Neuse River will be removed

A metal object in the Neuse River just below Falls Lake Dam is apparently a beam that broke off part of the dam structure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday said it plans to remove the object, which became visible about 200 feet downstream of the dam after water flow was decreased during an inspection last winter.

Carol Banaitis, the operations project manager for Falls and Jordan lakes, said in a statement that the object is believed to be an I-beam from the dam’s control tower that had corroded away and has since been replaced. The tower is located directly above the spillway.

The object is not considered crucial to the dam, and Corps officials said they would hire a tow truck company to remove it from the river.

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A post by Phillip White in the Wake Forest Community Information page on Facebook indicated his father’s company, Ronnie White’s Towing and Tire, had received a call from the Corps about the removal.

A screenshot of a post about an object believed to be a a part that broke off of the Falls Lake Dam.

FACEBOOK

White said plans to meet with Corps officials Sunday fell through.

“You may have wondered what that object is in the middle of the river,” White wrote in the post. “We at Ronnie White’s tire and towing got a call from ACoE Army Corps of Engineers today to remove it as they believe it a broken section of the dam. ... If you are bored then come on out and watch!”

A new meeting time had yet to be scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon, White said.